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刺棠
天狩三年上元夜，皇太子在祭祀典仪上遇刺身亡，尸骨无存，史称“刺棠”案。
刺棠案后，世家叛乱，将皇子宋澜推上皇位做傀儡。
为了调查此案的真相，也为了平息政变、保护太子最疼爱的弟弟，出身名相世家、与太子青梅竹马的苏落薇嫁给了宋澜，殚心竭虑地帮助他收揽权柄、稳坐江山。
直到有一天，苏落薇发现，原来宋澜才是刺棠案的始作俑者。
她被骗无知，甚至在无意间做了他的帮凶。
知晓真相的苏落薇决意不惜一切为太子复仇。
于是她看上了宋澜最器重的权臣叶亭宴。
*
皇太子自小清正端方、光风霁月，不想却被弟弟和青梅算计，一夕之间跌落尘泥。
他大难不死，易容之后借助心腹叶亭宴的身份重返朝中，打算将害他之人一一清理。
但他万万没有想到，已经成为皇后的苏落薇居然主动越界，向他示好。
他以为自己这么多年来从未真的认识过苏落薇。
直到苏落薇趴在他的肩头，对他低语：
叶大人，你不是好奇我所求为何吗？你去杀了宋澜，为我的太子报仇吧。
*
“关于克己复礼之人窥见黑暗的疯狂、天之骄子在乌涂中的坚守，以及理想主义的摧毁和煅造。”
ps：本文三观正确，女主在和男二关系存续期间并未与男主展开情感线；
pps：本文部分剧情灵感取材于李贺诗词，包括但不限于《假龙吟歌》《金铜仙人辞汉歌》《老夫采玉歌》《巫山高》等等，谢谢你长吉。
【排雷·一定要看】
1. 女非（高亮）男C！！HE，架空；
2. 感情线十分狗血，非完美人设，男女主是爱得死去活来的恋爱脑，还会发疯，可怕得很；
3. 因遣词造句问题可能看得很累，辞藻堆砌问题严重，意识流场景众多，慢热非爽文，和上本风格不太一样，介意务必谨慎跳坑；
4. 详尽排雷请阅读第一章作话，一定要看！
刺棠案后，世家叛乱，将皇子宋澜推上皇位做傀儡。
为了调查此案的真相，也为了平息政变、保护太子最疼爱的弟弟，出身名相世家、与太子青梅竹马的苏落薇嫁给了宋澜，殚心竭虑地帮助他收揽权柄、稳坐江山。
直到有一天，苏落薇发现，原来宋澜才是刺棠案的始作俑者。
她被骗无知，甚至在无意间做了他的帮凶。
知晓真相的苏落薇决意不惜一切为太子复仇。
于是她看上了宋澜最器重的权臣叶亭宴。
*
皇太子自小清正端方、光风霁月，不想却被弟弟和青梅算计，一夕之间跌落尘泥。
他大难不死，易容之后借助心腹叶亭宴的身份重返朝中，打算将害他之人一一清理。
但他万万没有想到，已经成为皇后的苏落薇居然主动越界，向他示好。
他以为自己这么多年来从未真的认识过苏落薇。
直到苏落薇趴在他的肩头，对他低语：
叶大人，你不是好奇我所求为何吗？你去杀了宋澜，为我的太子报仇吧。
*
“关于克己复礼之人窥见黑暗的疯狂、天之骄子在乌涂中的坚守，以及理想主义的摧毁和煅造。”
ps：本文三观正确，女主在和男二关系存续期间并未与男主展开情感线；
pps：本文部分剧情灵感取材于李贺诗词，包括但不限于《假龙吟歌》《金铜仙人辞汉歌》《老夫采玉歌》《巫山高》等等，谢谢你长吉。
【排雷·一定要看】
1. 女非（高亮）男C！！HE，架空；
2. 感情线十分狗血，非完美人设，男女主是爱得死去活来的恋爱脑，还会发疯，可怕得很；
3. 因遣词造句问题可能看得很累，辞藻堆砌问题严重，意识流场景众多，慢热非爽文，和上本风格不太一样，介意务必谨慎跳坑；
4. 详尽排雷请阅读第一章作话，一定要看！
Unknown Binding
Published November 27, 2024
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November 4, 2025
Pinyin: Ci Tang (Crabapple Thorns)
Read this historical romance novel if you want a heaping dose of intricate schemes with strong themes of revenge. It's quite heavy on the plot, though the romance eventually picks up as well.
The premise is that the ML, the former crown prince, was betrayed by his younger brother Song Lan a couple years ago. With the rest of the world believing that the ML was dead, Song Lan smoothly ascended to the throne with the support of Grand Tutor Yu and the FL, Su Luowei. She was childhood sweethearts with the ML and widely recognized as the future Crown Princess even though they hadn't officially married yet, but with the ML's supposed death, she eventually marries the younger brother Song Lan and becomes the empress.
However, the ML didn't really die. Instead, he changed his appearance and returns to the capital under the false identity of Ye Tingyan, a loyal retainer who died in his place. With his looks completely changed, the new emperor Song Lan doesn't recognize him at all and instead comes to rely on him more and more as a capable minister under his command. But the ML isn't back just to get revenge on his younger brother but also on the FL as well, as he believes that the FL helped his younger brother and played a part in deceiving him.
So that's the basic premise of the story. You can see how it sets up the stage for a lot of political intrigue, especially as more players join the stage. Each character has their own goals and sometimes form temporary political alliances with others in pursuit of a common goal, but everyone treads cautiously and it takes the FL and ML quite a while to learn the truth about the other and start working together. Even though I wish the truth came out earlier so that the romance could have picked up earlier, I didn't mind as I enjoyed all the schemes.
Where I thought the story fell flat was in the last part, as the pacing picks up very quickly. At that point, there's not much left of the political maneuvering as everyone's roles and factions become clear, and the conflict becomes much more straightforward. Also, the author introduced one of my least favorite plot points, invasion by foreign tribes, so I just becames less invested in the story. At least the author kept this part brief, so it was a quick read to the end.
Also, while everything eventually becomes clear, the way the story is written at the beginning is very unclear (or perhaps the issue is with the translation, I couldn't tell). There were a lot of moments where I was confused as the author describes what happens but doesn't explain much about the characters' motives, and it takes a while for the truth to be slowly revealed.
I'll include some more spoiler-y thoughts below.
**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**
The FL is made out to be a wise ruler whose presence serves as a good balance to the Grand Tutor's power. For example, she helps the emperor manage floods, control plagues, etc., but I'm just a bit skeptical after reading some of the flashbacks to her childhood about how she became so wise. It sounds like she had a pretty typical female upbringing for that time. Also, how did she become so good at scheming and acting? She had to act like a loving older sister and empress to the emperor for years while secretly hating him for betraying her beloved. That couldn't have been easy, especially when she was caught up in grief for the Crown Prince.
This excerpt describes the kind of careful existence she's had to tread for the past few years:
Yet Luo Wei knew that Song Lan must always fear she would learn about the events of those years.
And Yu Qiushi’s actions today were a test for her.
Therefore, the most pressing matter was that she absolutely, absolutely couldn’t let Song Lan and Yu Qiushi detect any flaw.
Pretend she knows nothing.
I really liked the dynamics between the FL and ML. Even though they team up pretty early on to take down the Grand Tutor who is a common enemy, they're not sure whether the other can be trusted and end up testing each other with probing words. To make things more complicated, there are some complex emotions at play as well. The ML, who thought he hated the FL before coming back to the capital for her betrayal, finds himself wavering when in her presence and even he himself isn't sure of how he really feels about her. And the FL, even though she doesn't recognize the ML, keeps getting reminded of the Crown Prince in her interactions with the ML and thinks she's going crazy. All of these things combined make for an interesting dynamic between them.
This is a good description of their initial working relationship. It's a very pragmatic approach:
Moreover, owing to both old grudges and new grievances with Yu Qiushi, Ye Tingyan had chosen Luo Wei as a temporary ally. Both parties understood that they were merely pawns in each other’s schemes to overthrow Yu Qiushi. He performed tasks for her that could not be disclosed to Song Lan, while she provided him with additional protection beyond Song Lan during his vulnerable period.
If the day came when Yu Qiushi fell from power, their primary concern would undoubtedly be eliminating each other.
And this is a good excerpt that sums up how the FL thinks she's going crazy from constantly being reminded of the crown prince around the ML:
Ye Tingyan had bared his soul to her, yet perceiving his affection, she shamefully fell into the illusion she experienced under that dark canopy—imagining kisses that would never come, pleas from the past. She realized she was teetering on madness, mistaking this cunning snake for a long-lost lover.
It was interesting to see the power dynamics between the FL and Grand Tutor Yu. They're supposed to jointly guide the underage emperor in governing the land, and that's what they do on the outside to keep up appearances. But secretly each of them is trying to undermine the other in front of the emperor and remove them from the political stage completely. And when the FL finally achieves her goal and takes down Yu Quishi, she also crushes his spirit by revealing to him that the emperor was far more vicious than he had believed, going so far as to poison his own father, the former emperor, to death.
It took 2/3 of the story (chapter 76 to be exact) before the ML realizes the truth about the FL's true intentions, and soon after that the FL learns of the ML's identity as the Crown Prince. When it finally happened, I was so excited! After all their careful treading around each other, I was ready for it to end and for them to start trusting each other. Once they start working together, with their combined brain power, the emperor doesn't stand a chance against them especially since the Grand Tutor isn't there to advise him anymore.
He heard her say, as if in a dream, one word at a time: “Lord Ye, you often ask me what I seek...”
The mingled scents of rose and begonia, intertwined with their embrace, condensed into droplets that suddenly slid down the side of his face, whether sweat or tears, he couldn’t tell.
Luo Wei continued, her voice suddenly gaining force: “Go and kill Song Lan, for my Crown Prince, avenge him.”
That sentence was so beautiful, he dared not consider its truth or falsehood.
Like a dying person’s thirst, he was truly too thirsty; even poison would be sweet.
After a long silence, Ye Tingyan, as if in a dream, slowly asked, “What did you... just say?”
Luo Wei’s tears broke into a smile, and she clearly repeated for him.
“Let’s work together to avenge His Highness.”
His mind was in turmoil. Ye Tingyan repeated the question several times, rambling, before finally asking, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Sensing his silent acknowledgment, Luo Wei breathed a sigh of relief and let out a soft laugh: “You are so clever. You couldn’t bring yourself to say ‘rebel traitor.’ Even though I suspected for a long time, how could I dare to speak? It was truly difficult to feign ignorance in front of you.”
He asked in a trembling voice, “Aren’t you afraid that I’m still trying to trick you now?”
Luo Wei said, “Is that so? If I’m wrong and die by your hand, it’ll be a release. I’m truly too tired, too tired...”
But the ML didn't reveal his identity immediately as he was too embarrassed by his current self. It makes sense, he's been through so much and doesn't want her to see his ugly side.
How was he to tell her that the flawless moon in her heart, the eternally brilliant sun in the high heavens, had become so timid, malicious, and unable to bear the light?
He couldn’t escape his own inner demons; he had exposed his ugliest self to her.
Could all those unintentional hurts be treated as if they never happened?
And could they truly vanish instantly after the mask was removed?
He dared not speak. Even if he saw a flicker of surprise in her expression, asking how he had changed so much, he would wish he had never lived again.
Then, in her heart, he would forever remain the pure and perfect image she had loved from the very beginning.
Luckily the author didn't keep us waiting for long. They had their first real conversation a couple chapters later:
“What are you afraid of?”
“I’m afraid you won’t recognize me,” Ye Tingyan answered with a trembling voice. He finally mustered his courage and spoke quickly, “I’ve fallen into a heart demon; I don’t even recognize myself anymore. I believed his words, believed you would betray me, and for that... I toyed with you, insulted you, coerced you, until the very last moment, when I could finally see this heart clearly. I was too scared... scared that when you saw me now, you would regret all your past sacrifices. I am not worth your sacrifice, you...”
Honestly, the final confrontation between the ML and his younger borther felt a bit anticlimactic? At that point, Song Lan had already shown his viciousness in full force to the court and lost the trust of all the ministers, so it didn't feel like a satisfying win against a worthy opponent. At that point, it felt like he was just desperately holding on to the little power and prestige he had left, and it was a foregone conclusion that the FL and ML would sweep in and take over. I would've liked to see Song Lan put up a better fight even as he slowly unravels without anyone to advise him.
Some of the later plot twists, like another advisor to the emperor who becomes their biggest adversary in the last part of the book and the emperor's own mother being revealed to be foreign spies of the Ezhen tribe, felt like it was too much. I think the author could have kept it simpler and just ended the story when our main couple take down the emperor and reveal the truth of his past misdeeds to the whole court and to the public. The whole war against the foreign tribes part of the story came on too suddenly and felt a bit random imo.
Despite some of my problems with the pacing and the events at the end of the story, it was overall a very enjoyable read as it goes deep into the political intrigue, much more so than most of the historical books I've read. Would recommend!
Read this historical romance novel if you want a heaping dose of intricate schemes with strong themes of revenge. It's quite heavy on the plot, though the romance eventually picks up as well.
The premise is that the ML, the former crown prince, was betrayed by his younger brother Song Lan a couple years ago. With the rest of the world believing that the ML was dead, Song Lan smoothly ascended to the throne with the support of Grand Tutor Yu and the FL, Su Luowei. She was childhood sweethearts with the ML and widely recognized as the future Crown Princess even though they hadn't officially married yet, but with the ML's supposed death, she eventually marries the younger brother Song Lan and becomes the empress.
However, the ML didn't really die. Instead, he changed his appearance and returns to the capital under the false identity of Ye Tingyan, a loyal retainer who died in his place. With his looks completely changed, the new emperor Song Lan doesn't recognize him at all and instead comes to rely on him more and more as a capable minister under his command. But the ML isn't back just to get revenge on his younger brother but also on the FL as well, as he believes that the FL helped his younger brother and played a part in deceiving him.
So that's the basic premise of the story. You can see how it sets up the stage for a lot of political intrigue, especially as more players join the stage. Each character has their own goals and sometimes form temporary political alliances with others in pursuit of a common goal, but everyone treads cautiously and it takes the FL and ML quite a while to learn the truth about the other and start working together. Even though I wish the truth came out earlier so that the romance could have picked up earlier, I didn't mind as I enjoyed all the schemes.
Where I thought the story fell flat was in the last part, as the pacing picks up very quickly. At that point, there's not much left of the political maneuvering as everyone's roles and factions become clear, and the conflict becomes much more straightforward. Also, the author introduced one of my least favorite plot points, invasion by foreign tribes, so I just becames less invested in the story. At least the author kept this part brief, so it was a quick read to the end.
Also, while everything eventually becomes clear, the way the story is written at the beginning is very unclear (or perhaps the issue is with the translation, I couldn't tell). There were a lot of moments where I was confused as the author describes what happens but doesn't explain much about the characters' motives, and it takes a while for the truth to be slowly revealed.
I'll include some more spoiler-y thoughts below.
**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**
The FL is made out to be a wise ruler whose presence serves as a good balance to the Grand Tutor's power. For example, she helps the emperor manage floods, control plagues, etc., but I'm just a bit skeptical after reading some of the flashbacks to her childhood about how she became so wise. It sounds like she had a pretty typical female upbringing for that time. Also, how did she become so good at scheming and acting? She had to act like a loving older sister and empress to the emperor for years while secretly hating him for betraying her beloved. That couldn't have been easy, especially when she was caught up in grief for the Crown Prince.
This excerpt describes the kind of careful existence she's had to tread for the past few years:
Yet Luo Wei knew that Song Lan must always fear she would learn about the events of those years.
And Yu Qiushi’s actions today were a test for her.
Therefore, the most pressing matter was that she absolutely, absolutely couldn’t let Song Lan and Yu Qiushi detect any flaw.
Pretend she knows nothing.
I really liked the dynamics between the FL and ML. Even though they team up pretty early on to take down the Grand Tutor who is a common enemy, they're not sure whether the other can be trusted and end up testing each other with probing words. To make things more complicated, there are some complex emotions at play as well. The ML, who thought he hated the FL before coming back to the capital for her betrayal, finds himself wavering when in her presence and even he himself isn't sure of how he really feels about her. And the FL, even though she doesn't recognize the ML, keeps getting reminded of the Crown Prince in her interactions with the ML and thinks she's going crazy. All of these things combined make for an interesting dynamic between them.
This is a good description of their initial working relationship. It's a very pragmatic approach:
Moreover, owing to both old grudges and new grievances with Yu Qiushi, Ye Tingyan had chosen Luo Wei as a temporary ally. Both parties understood that they were merely pawns in each other’s schemes to overthrow Yu Qiushi. He performed tasks for her that could not be disclosed to Song Lan, while she provided him with additional protection beyond Song Lan during his vulnerable period.
If the day came when Yu Qiushi fell from power, their primary concern would undoubtedly be eliminating each other.
And this is a good excerpt that sums up how the FL thinks she's going crazy from constantly being reminded of the crown prince around the ML:
Ye Tingyan had bared his soul to her, yet perceiving his affection, she shamefully fell into the illusion she experienced under that dark canopy—imagining kisses that would never come, pleas from the past. She realized she was teetering on madness, mistaking this cunning snake for a long-lost lover.
It was interesting to see the power dynamics between the FL and Grand Tutor Yu. They're supposed to jointly guide the underage emperor in governing the land, and that's what they do on the outside to keep up appearances. But secretly each of them is trying to undermine the other in front of the emperor and remove them from the political stage completely. And when the FL finally achieves her goal and takes down Yu Quishi, she also crushes his spirit by revealing to him that the emperor was far more vicious than he had believed, going so far as to poison his own father, the former emperor, to death.
It took 2/3 of the story (chapter 76 to be exact) before the ML realizes the truth about the FL's true intentions, and soon after that the FL learns of the ML's identity as the Crown Prince. When it finally happened, I was so excited! After all their careful treading around each other, I was ready for it to end and for them to start trusting each other. Once they start working together, with their combined brain power, the emperor doesn't stand a chance against them especially since the Grand Tutor isn't there to advise him anymore.
He heard her say, as if in a dream, one word at a time: “Lord Ye, you often ask me what I seek...”
The mingled scents of rose and begonia, intertwined with their embrace, condensed into droplets that suddenly slid down the side of his face, whether sweat or tears, he couldn’t tell.
Luo Wei continued, her voice suddenly gaining force: “Go and kill Song Lan, for my Crown Prince, avenge him.”
That sentence was so beautiful, he dared not consider its truth or falsehood.
Like a dying person’s thirst, he was truly too thirsty; even poison would be sweet.
After a long silence, Ye Tingyan, as if in a dream, slowly asked, “What did you... just say?”
Luo Wei’s tears broke into a smile, and she clearly repeated for him.
“Let’s work together to avenge His Highness.”
His mind was in turmoil. Ye Tingyan repeated the question several times, rambling, before finally asking, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Sensing his silent acknowledgment, Luo Wei breathed a sigh of relief and let out a soft laugh: “You are so clever. You couldn’t bring yourself to say ‘rebel traitor.’ Even though I suspected for a long time, how could I dare to speak? It was truly difficult to feign ignorance in front of you.”
He asked in a trembling voice, “Aren’t you afraid that I’m still trying to trick you now?”
Luo Wei said, “Is that so? If I’m wrong and die by your hand, it’ll be a release. I’m truly too tired, too tired...”
But the ML didn't reveal his identity immediately as he was too embarrassed by his current self. It makes sense, he's been through so much and doesn't want her to see his ugly side.
How was he to tell her that the flawless moon in her heart, the eternally brilliant sun in the high heavens, had become so timid, malicious, and unable to bear the light?
He couldn’t escape his own inner demons; he had exposed his ugliest self to her.
Could all those unintentional hurts be treated as if they never happened?
And could they truly vanish instantly after the mask was removed?
He dared not speak. Even if he saw a flicker of surprise in her expression, asking how he had changed so much, he would wish he had never lived again.
Then, in her heart, he would forever remain the pure and perfect image she had loved from the very beginning.
Luckily the author didn't keep us waiting for long. They had their first real conversation a couple chapters later:
“What are you afraid of?”
“I’m afraid you won’t recognize me,” Ye Tingyan answered with a trembling voice. He finally mustered his courage and spoke quickly, “I’ve fallen into a heart demon; I don’t even recognize myself anymore. I believed his words, believed you would betray me, and for that... I toyed with you, insulted you, coerced you, until the very last moment, when I could finally see this heart clearly. I was too scared... scared that when you saw me now, you would regret all your past sacrifices. I am not worth your sacrifice, you...”
Honestly, the final confrontation between the ML and his younger borther felt a bit anticlimactic? At that point, Song Lan had already shown his viciousness in full force to the court and lost the trust of all the ministers, so it didn't feel like a satisfying win against a worthy opponent. At that point, it felt like he was just desperately holding on to the little power and prestige he had left, and it was a foregone conclusion that the FL and ML would sweep in and take over. I would've liked to see Song Lan put up a better fight even as he slowly unravels without anyone to advise him.
Some of the later plot twists, like another advisor to the emperor who becomes their biggest adversary in the last part of the book and the emperor's own mother being revealed to be foreign spies of the Ezhen tribe, felt like it was too much. I think the author could have kept it simpler and just ended the story when our main couple take down the emperor and reveal the truth of his past misdeeds to the whole court and to the public. The whole war against the foreign tribes part of the story came on too suddenly and felt a bit random imo.
Despite some of my problems with the pacing and the events at the end of the story, it was overall a very enjoyable read as it goes deep into the political intrigue, much more so than most of the historical books I've read. Would recommend!
November 9, 2025
This was hard to rate because if I just had to rate the early parts of the novel, I would definitely have given 4 stars, but the pacing later on just drags it down and the climax was just frustrating. It was still enjoyable though and if you can get into it, you will get through it.
The setting is fairly interesting, even if the first chapter (a dream) is very confusing and not engaging and would probably have only worked in a visual medium.
Basically, the main characters are the Empress and the former Crown Prince. The later was betrayed and apparently killed, his former fiancee married his younger brother and became empress. The FL eventually realized that her current husband killed the love of her life and used her. She is out for revenge.
The Prince, under a new identity, is back for revenge on all those that betrayed him and he thinks that the FL is one of them. Which sets up a delicious tension. Instead of a big war between the Emperor and the former crown prince it's politics, and here the prince teams up with the empress, though they both don't trust the other and both plan to kill the other later. The empress will make use of this cunning minister to get revenge for the crown prince, and the crown prince plans to use her influence to get to the top.
And it was great. The tensions between them is delicious. She sometimes mocks herself for seeing shades of the crown prince in that minister - but the crown prince was nothing like him - and whens he sees that he is attracted to her - she makes use of it.
The prince meanwhile... well, he is out for revenge, but once he adored the empress and he is still kind of in love with her and wants to know why she betrayed him. Even though he has become a cunning and ruthless person, he can't quite control his emotions around her. He's a great ML, because he is NOT PERFECT. He makes some mistakes and he is (often) as a disadvantage in front of her and I really enjoyed that, because it was so different from many other MLs.
The good points of this novel:
- the two main characters
- the intrigue
- the unusual setting (married empress!)
The negatives:
- side characters could have been so much more interesting, except for some moments they did not get the attention they deserved, especially given how important some of them are
- the pacing (it just drags. It took me days to finish the climax)
- the "final enemy" not the emperor.... but a foreign invasion.
- the flashbacks are interesting but not well handled in the story, pretty much the same as the first chapter.
So yes, it is a good novel, but you need to be in the right mood to get through some of the wordy prose. The tension between the characters is great though ;) I also enjoyed the time travel extra, because it really drove home that villains don't come out of nothing. (I did not read the others. My motivation was drained.)
The setting is fairly interesting, even if the first chapter (a dream) is very confusing and not engaging and would probably have only worked in a visual medium.
Basically, the main characters are the Empress and the former Crown Prince. The later was betrayed and apparently killed, his former fiancee married his younger brother and became empress. The FL eventually realized that her current husband killed the love of her life and used her. She is out for revenge.
The Prince, under a new identity, is back for revenge on all those that betrayed him and he thinks that the FL is one of them. Which sets up a delicious tension. Instead of a big war between the Emperor and the former crown prince it's politics, and here the prince teams up with the empress, though they both don't trust the other and both plan to kill the other later. The empress will make use of this cunning minister to get revenge for the crown prince, and the crown prince plans to use her influence to get to the top.
And it was great. The tensions between them is delicious. She sometimes mocks herself for seeing shades of the crown prince in that minister - but the crown prince was nothing like him - and whens he sees that he is attracted to her - she makes use of it.
The prince meanwhile... well, he is out for revenge, but once he adored the empress and he is still kind of in love with her and wants to know why she betrayed him. Even though he has become a cunning and ruthless person, he can't quite control his emotions around her. He's a great ML, because he is NOT PERFECT. He makes some mistakes and he is (often) as a disadvantage in front of her and I really enjoyed that, because it was so different from many other MLs.
The good points of this novel:
- the two main characters
- the intrigue
- the unusual setting (married empress!)
The negatives:
- side characters could have been so much more interesting, except for some moments they did not get the attention they deserved, especially given how important some of them are
- the pacing (it just drags. It took me days to finish the climax)
- the "final enemy" not the emperor.... but a foreign invasion.
- the flashbacks are interesting but not well handled in the story, pretty much the same as the first chapter.
So yes, it is a good novel, but you need to be in the right mood to get through some of the wordy prose. The tension between the characters is great though ;) I also enjoyed the time travel extra, because it really drove home that villains don't come out of nothing. (I did not read the others. My motivation was drained.)
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